Good concept but that is all it is. unbelievably overpriced I had a seafood curry which consited of one prawn 2 mussels and a potato I think this was about £18 do not waste your money.

I'm really not sure why there's been bad reviews of this place... It's amazing! I've been to inamo 3 times and every time I've eaten delicious food, been blown away by the technology and have had attentive and friendly waiters. It's a little pricey but the food is stunning. It's definitely worth it for a fun and memorable night out. My favourite is the new beef/mango salad and old favourites are the gyoza, seafood curry and beef buri bop. Yum!

Inamo seems to be the first techno-restaurant of its kind but I can only assume that it relies entirely on the draw of this gimmick to get the customers in, as I certainly wont be returning!
The self order system is meant to allow the staff to be more efficient and available to the customer but when we did see the waiters (always a different one) they were incredibly rude and seemed resentful of helping at all!
For example:
-When mentioning at the end of the meal the 40 minute delay between receiving my curry and receiving my rice, despite having followed it up 3 times, the waiter actually said "Whatever"
-When asking for our bill to be separated between the 3 couples that were in our party (as we had had our bills on our personal account until one of us selected to pay) another waiter said "are you joking" and rolled his eyes.
The food was over priced but not a total disaster- it tasted quite nice but the portions were very small and I managed to fish just TWO small chunks of chicken out of my chicken curry.

This is just my story, but each person in our group was faced with similar disappointment. My friend didn't get his starter till I was on pudding!

Perhaps it was lucky the computer projected games were there to distract me from getting a lot more fed up than I was.

If I could give inamo less than one star I would.

Ridiculously overpriced. We practically left hungry. £40 per person for what we had (and only two glasses of wine) is inexcusable. Yes it's a different experience, interactive bla bla but I'm not going to pay for their electricity bills. not going again, wouldn't recommend it either. Food average, just nothing special at all.

His: This is a restaurant that reminds me of others like it that rely on gimmicks and/or decor instead of the quality of food to draw customers in. The problem with that approach for restaurant owners, though, is that the customer comes in only once. The projection system is very neat; the food is awful and pretentious, the service even worse. So, having tried the ordering system and the food, I'll be a one-time customer.

Her: Inamo is certainly in tune with the vibe of its neighborhood, alias not the swanky one, nor the culinary one. It does features an interesting way of ordering food, a program that does give you round 10 minutes of fun until the first dish arrives and you realize that that starter you ordered is about 10 times smaller than its projected picture. Nevermind, hungry, I jumped on my mains, a mushroom Toban Yaki, which was so totally yaki that I had to force the first bite down my throat and did not touch it again. Still hungry, I started dipping my Vegetable Temaki into the truffle infused sauce which gave the beef Carpaccio starter its taste: not bad, I was starting to eat. Our 17 quid rosé sake arrived and like the starter was four times smaller than the bottle we expected and 10 times sweeter. The plain white rice was not bad, it gave me a sense of cleanliness after my horrifying visit to the washroom. The avocado and tomato salad which I ordered as a 'low-risk' stomach filler as a last resort had so much salt on it that I could take it off with my bare hands. With the sake bottle empty and the water glass featuring UFOs (Unidentified Floating Objects) I had nothing left to quench my thirst nor to fill my stomach. The bill: 112 quid, oh no, sorry, 86, there was a computer error. I will never go back.

Once you get over the nouveau concept of a touch screen table that spares you the hassle of dealing with the unfriendly staff - you'll be incredibly disappointed.

Being able to see your food whilst you order is an interesting idea - but to be fair the poor resolution of the projectors gives an almost accurate representation of what you'll be ingesting. Clicking through the menu is tedious but ordering what you want is extremely simple and efficient.

We sampled the "crispy pork belly" which was bland, stale and seemed like offcuts from chinese restaurants down the road. The "miso soup" arrived at a lukewarm temperature on a chilly day and the "seared scallops" were far too chewy to be fresh. Fairly tasty was the "spicy miso cod" but the "hot stone beef" was terrible. How is that possible? Surely there is little room for error when placing raw meat on a hot stone? Unfortunately for us, the fates (chefs) conspired to place choice vegetation between the meat and the stone leaving us with a burnt smell and a bitter taste in our mouths - and that was before the bill arrived.

Best part of the meal: Leaving and knowing we'd never return.

We visited the SoHo branch today (Wardour Street) and were very impressed with the food. However, it was lucky we turned up early because the kitchen apparently closes at 14:45 (we had a booking at 14:30) and so we would have had to order the set menu. The food was great for the price, the ordering system was very easy and fun to use - the staff a little standoffish but otherwise a good meal.

I have been to the restaurant with my colleagues, loved the food but hated the service. We have been asked to leave after 1,5 hours in the middle of our meal just when we were waiting for the dessert. At the time of reservation no one mentioned the time limit to us so it was at the end a very bad experience...

If it was possible to give it no stars as a rating that's what inamo deserves! We arrived and were seated but no service was provided giving guidance as to the unique way the ordering was done. We worked it out ourselves. Ok so we took our time to order. Once the food appeared we were told we only had 15 mins to finish as we had to vacate the table. I asked what are they taking about? Apparently there was a time slot of how long we could have the table for and it was 1.5 hrs Well we were not informed of this when we had booked. Obviously not impressed we had to negotiate how much time it would take for us to complete our meal. Oh well how generous of them to provide us an extra half hour! Then they had the audacity to charge us for service! Never going there again.

I was left greatly disappointed at my last visit. I booked a table over the week for 10 people and I received various forms to fill in in order to confirm the booking and also informing me of a £8 per person booking fee and a few other cancelation policies. What they failed to mention is that they do NOT actually have a table for 10 people hence our party was shown 3 different tables to sit on. When we asked why would they book 10 people when they can not be accommodated in the same table, their staff's response was that 'we should have been told' and that ' their biggest table could only sit 6'. Now, that's helpful! They had every opportunity of telling me this either by email or over the phone. We also found that half the cocktail's list was off menu and we were told that we had 30 minutes to order before the kitchen closed. I would have never chosen Inamo should I've known that I would have to sit away from my guests or advice them to order quickly upon arrival. I suspect the staff are putting their greedy 12.5% tip prospect before their customer's comfort.

I couldn't have been any more disappointed with Inamo if I tried. I went there for a special occasion and it ruined the day for us. The food was completely over priced, and didn't even warrant the price with it's quality. I ordered the steak on the hot stone, for £17 I received a steak the size of my palm (apparently considered a large dish), on a hot stone that didn't stay hot enough to even cook the meat properly. It was also covered in sprigs of rosemary, which masked any flavour from the 3 sauces accompanying it. We had the same disappointment with the lamb, though the spring rolls were slightly better. It was recommended that each person orders a large dish and two smaller ones, but at around £50 a head, for food I didn't consider a high standard, I was not prepared to order anymore than 3 dishes between us. The table was a novelty, though seemed slightly dated visually. I also resent having to pay a 10% service charge when I placed my own order using the table. Overall, we left after 30 mins, bitterly disappointed, feeling hungrier than when we got there, and if anything a little bit ill. Would never recommend to anyone.

I have now eaten here on several occasions and have never failed to be impressed, by the quality of the food and the standard of the service. The table top entertainment is a great amusement, but the standard of the food at such a reasonable price (for a top London restaurant) is what keeps me coming back.

Been there twice now. Impact of the tabletop lighting at lunchtime was not as spectacular as the evening. But the food was well presented and the variety of flavours kept our interest throughout. I especially liked the Mushroom Toban Yaki - wow! Baby ribs and duck pancakes were amazing too. Service was really prompt and friendly, but not in-your-face. For an innovative new restaurant I expected eco-information on the menu about the source of the tuna. Our large party was split up by the unmovable tables, interfering with our socialising. Would we return?- yep, as long as they keep innovating with the food and experience.

This place was truly disgusting. The "ordering from your magic table" projection system was silly, but I could have forgiven it if the food was decent. But it was not. Not even close.

I was with a group of six, and we ordered a lot of different dishes - none of which were remotely good enough considering the amount they cost - and some of which were completely inedible. The hamachi was so old that it stank, and the portions were absolutely tiny. We were in a corner downstairs, so the fun upstairs vibe wasn't even there to distract us from the horrendous quality of the food.

I don't mind a bad meal - what I mind is a bad meal that pretends to be an excellent one.

Save your money for a decent Japanese place and skip the ridiculous kitsch that is this place.

Fun and interesting concept. Cod good. Battleships great.

Food slightly on the pricey side, especially the side dishes which pretty minimal and bland.

I had booked a table for 8, and was only informed on arrival that due to the projector systems we were going to be seated at a table for 4 and 2 tables of 2!
They also sent us downstairs for drinks because our table wasn't ready at the time we had booked.
When I expressed my disappointment re the table situation, staff were rude and unhelpful. Definitely not one I would recommend.

Went to Inamo to celebrate husband's birthday on Sunday. Was a fabulous experience. The staff were really friendly and helpful. The whole touch screen projection was great fun and quirky, cocktails beautiful and the food different and delicious!

The whole experience was really enjoyable.

Not 'cheap' but reasonable and worth it. I would highly recommend this restaurant and will be returning.

I had lunch at Inamo a couple of days ago and really enjoyed it. The experience of the projector computer system was so much fun as my brother and I fought out a game of battleships as we waited for our food.

I decided on the Jungle curry as I had never had this meal before, it was a risk but it paid off., the food was delightful. It was a great dining experience, one which i will enjoy again in the future

@tiger: I can't agree at all.
And the computer system is intended to be the special thing about this restaurant.


I went there with my bf on monday night -
and we both liked it.
The waitress serving us was very friendly and the food awesomely delicious.
The interactive table system was impressive and so much fun!
We had a great time fighting eachother playing Battleships
over and over again. =)
It is a bit pricey tho, but a great experience!

@tiger: well that's just the point of Inamo, I think. Been there yesterday with my bf and I have to say we both liked it a lot. The waitress serving us was very friendly and the food was totally delicious! The ordering system and extras is amazing.

Haha we spent so much time trying everything out and playing battleship! It was a very unique experience and awesome fun!

Possibly the worst meal I have ever had. The food was expensive and not at all fresh.

I would have preferred to interact with human beings and eat good food then spend all the profits on a stupid computer system.

I had to spit out a prawn that was clearly past it's best. Major disappointment.

Fantastic food, and really quick seating / service despite the fact that we hadn't made a booking (Ok, it was a Monday lunchtime...) Poussin was fab, as was the green salad with peanut sauce.

Thai red curry was to die for. And on top of that, the ordering system was just great fun!

Try and avoid the tables nearest the window though - the projection isn't as clear in the daylight.

I went there yesterday, Sunday 26 July and had a brilliant time. One of the guys who was with us has a Nut Allergy, and the waitress and chefs couldn't have been more helpful.

They even said next time you decide to call in, please tell us advance of the allergy and we'll be ready for you, so whatever you order will be nut free.

My friend and I shared the Black Cod Set Menu which came with 4 other dishes, plus we added two side plates each, after that and a dessert we had very full tummys.

You couldn't fault the quality of the food, it was spectacular, so many flavours, the Black Cod amazing and the Spare Ribs, fell away from the bone.

I personally didn't think we waited a long time, to be honest my friends and I were too busy playing battleships with each other to notice what with also changing the colours and patterns of the tablecloths. The ordering service takes some getting used, but basically its common sense.

With service charge included and drinks it came to £30 a head. You cant knock that. Had a fantastic time and will definitely be going back.

Waiting time: they made us wait half an hour even if we reserved

Service Rude waitress

Food: Only decoration, quantity/quality ratio very poor

Price: Too pricey. After a starter and a main course you still feel you need to start eating.

Atmosphere: It is so dark you can't see your food and it is so loud you cannot engage a proper conversation with your friends

Firstly the manager, must be fired straight away.

Nice place with unusual settings, good food, but horrible service.In fact we had never felt so humiliated by the restaurant staff in our life!

The manager was very rude, waiting staff tried to serve at least 3 times the food we didn`t ordered, and we had to use their "high tech" system to prove we hadn`t ordered those items (all of them were form the tables around us).

We spent about £200 without alcohol-I would not say it was cheap dining. However, when we left the place, we`d been chased on the street by the same manager running after us and shouting my surname - such an embarrassing moment in my life.

Apparently they undercharged us and it had to be explained and sorted out on the street - awful experience! Food? We do not remember it in such a circumstances!

In summary: The idea is good, value is lacking and service is awful.

It's safe to say I won't be coming back again and I will make sure (with some help from the same modern technology - e-mails and facebook) that all my friends won't come here.

It`s a big shame that such a place could get good reviews !!

YOU NEED TO GO HERE!!!!! This place is perfect for a first date or any time you need to impress.

The restaurant is a ready made conversation as it is so different. Plus you can play battleships against each other while your waiting for the perfect ice breaker.

The food was amazing, the staff friendly and fun. Basically this restaurant is everything you need a restaurant to be.

If anybody gives this place a bad review there is something very wrong with them!!!! What on earth can you not like about this place.

I have no idea what the previous reviewer was on about but I had to leave a rave review for Inamo!!

I was so excited to go after reading a review & have been excited to tell people about our experience ever since.

It was explained to us that the food arrives shortly after ordering so if you have a group make sure you order your food together i.e. set menu/starters etc.

We still managed to order seperately (too many beers before arriving?) but the time between food delivery was hardly noticeable.

There is also minimal margin for error as we were able to correct a few mistakes.We all thoroughly enjoyed the food & the presentation was excellent.

Now for the fun part....the novelty of the laptop style table which included games, a web cam and various options of projected table designs was so much fun it kept us entertained throughout.

This would be ideal for the shy or for a first date as is a great ice breaker. Another perk was being able to call your waiter, this stops all the annoying times when you cant catch their eye!!

Granted if you're a cheat the complex!? game of battleships could be pointless but for the non smokers amongst our party it was a novel way of waiting the smokers to return :-)

Also recommend red wine la caplana dolcetto d'ovada mmmm

Highly recommended A star.

What a letdown. Don’t go with a friend as the staff seem incapable of making sure two starters or mains arrive together, let alone within 5min of each other.

So if you get yours first, eat straight away as your food might be cold before you friends arrives.

Starter was ok but under cooked, very let down by the mains. Drinks took too long to come, 10 mins to long.

Considering you order from the desktop interface, you’re still charged a service charge. Considering what the service had to actually do, they couldn’t do it well.

Inamo all gimmick no substance. (don’t even get me started on the games, battle ships when the person is in front of them and you can see their table, just shows not enough thought has gone into this)

I was visiting Imamo for the first time in Januari 2009 and found the place realy nice. The food was good and the price was not expensive and not cheep. The big thing is the tacnology and the staf, they where exellent. Could be recomended.

This place is brilliant. Saw something like this on TV ages ago and thought it would be an interesting way of dining, so we went there last night and it was better than I'd imagined.
The food was amazing, the balance of flavours, textures and presentation was the best I've seen for a long time.
The sevice was great, even though we got there very late, they explained the menu and everything came out quickly. The staff were very friendly, and didn't hurry us despite the late hour!
Price wise, very good for the quality you get, especially the wine £14.00 is relativly cheap nowadays.
Having something interactive (battleships, Chef Cam etc) is great for when the partner goes off to the loo, definately original and fun. Certainly a place to take someone to impress.
I would definately like to see more places take on this new technology, however it's the food that wins this one for me, I could have sat there all night and eaten my way through the whole menu!

Fab fab fab!!

This was the best dinner experience for a long long time.

The food is absulutely excellent, the staff was very freindly and the whole interactive thing is just fab.

We will dine there again....!

The Duck was fab!

Excellent food. Fun experience. Prompt, polite service. The interactive menu gimmick is a lot of fun and there are a lot of extras for you to discover. It's a toy, but it's not pretentious. It's well-organized, easy to use, and entertaining.

The Boar Rolls and Spring Rolls were great. The quail was not remarkable, nor was the asparagus salad. The desserts were very tasty.

We'll be going back.

If I was to change something about the place, I'd put more drinks on the menu. I like Asahi Superdry, but that's the only beer they had. And I'm not a fan of iSake's products. They performed adequately when mixed in the creative cocktails, but I was hoping for a broader selection of sake available by the glass. Just a few more sakes and beers would be great.

I also hope that the software changes a bit by the time I visit next. E.g., I hope they have a different selection of table cloth images, maybe a different game, maybe more information on surrounding bars and clubs in the area.

The idea behind the restaurant is certainly new and fun, with the tech theme lying dominate behind the usual waitress ordering and service.

The other reviews certainly praised this place, and the concept is certainly new and satisfying. There is only a catch. Value for money is rock bottom as each dish costs £6 upwards but the portions are minute. The service standard really has much to be desired - and I presume the manager didn't think they needed good experienced waiters/waitresses because you'll mainly be ordering from the "touch-table".

Service is dire. First of all, when you book this place they assign you a table to sit at and it seems that no matter what you choose you'll be placed at that table. I arrived with a friend at 6.30pm and the place only had about 6 customers, out of a ground level capacity for about 36. However, we weren't allowed to sit at the cushioned sofa bit at the corners because...well, they have parties arriving at 8pm! What a ridiculous approach to the dining experience, squeezing you into the tables in the middle just in preparation for a party 2 hours later?

Even during the meal, the waitress tried to take away my dish as I was still holding food with my pair of chopsticks, and the waitor who gave me the cardreader machine when I asked for a bill actually disappeared after giving me the machine!! He was so busy helping a new group of arrivals! They had 5-6 waiters/waitresses that I could see and I didn't understand why this guy had to leave our table for that? In the end I did the whole process myself, including printing the merchant receipt and the customer receipt. My dining partner also commented that I could easily have clicked refund on my card straight away since the waiter didn't bother coming back until we both got up and left.

In summary: The ideal is good, the food is good. Value is lacking and service needs a lot of help.

It's safe to say I won't be coming back again and I won't tell my friends to come here.

How cool is this place!

I ordered a drink, changed my tablecloth and had a look in the kitchen all from the interactive table. Before browsing the food menu which enlarges the image of the dish on your plate.

Whilst waiting for my food we played a quick game of battleships.

The service is polite and quick, the food tasted amazing, served in rustic bowls and no compromise on flavor. I had the thai red curry and rice and a beer £13.95 I believe.

It seems you can pay your individual part of the bill as well as pay as a group which will stop any and argument over who pays what.

I definitely recommend a visit, 5 stars from me!!

The food here is very good - the black cod was fantastically fresh and easily as good as Nobu. I wasn't sure I'd like the interactive ordering, but I was completely won over - it was not only a lot of fun, but there was something a bit magical about the food just appearing. I bet that in 10 years, we'll be ordering like this in thousands of places. A really neat idea.

We were in a party of 8, and the food was arriving completely out of synch, but it really didn't seem to matter. Two of us had finished our deserts before one of us had even had his last mains. It's just a different way of eating that's very relaxed and sociable - it makes normal restaurants seem a bit too regimented. I'll definitely go back.

The new kid in town...

So, you may have heard the buzz about this place, with its interactive table-tops which allow you complete control over your ordering, table decor, local travel arrangements, and your dinner-date (via the medium of battleships). For anyone who loves a bit of technology, and also those who just want to try something new, this is a place that has to be tried.

The technology is easy to use, once you grasp the basics, and the pictures of the food projected onto your plate get your mouth watering. There's plenty to keep you amused for the first meal anyway, and it will be exciting to see whether the designers add any additional features to keep the novelty value alive.

The food matches up. I particularly recommend the vegetarian spring rolls and chili sauce: heavenly. When I visited, the waiting staff were available, approachable and very polite and efficient. I noted in a previous review about mains arriving at different times, however, i think that this is just the style of the tapas-type menu, rather than a problem with ordering or service. I know a lot of Asian restaurants bring your dishes "as they are ready" and I think Inamo is no exception.

As other reviews have pointed out, this is not the place for a romantic candle-lit dinner for two. But it IS the place to go for a fun meal out if you're bored of the more traditionald dining experience, and it would be the perfect place to take a first date, your too-cool-for-school younger sibling, a friend from out of town, a work colleague you want to make an impression on, or a bunch of mates.

Inamo certainly new - give it a go and make up your own mind whether it really is the next big thing

We went to Inamo for the first time on Saturday night and we will definitely be going back! It's such a brilliant idea, we loved it! It great fun playing around with the images and patterns for your table to reflect your mood or the stage of the evening and playing battleships did get a little competitive! It's also very useful for people who don't know the city as there's also an interactive bus and tube map. The food was also absolutely delicious, I would recommend the wagu onglet (I think that's right, it's the beef), it was gorgeous. There is only slightly less interaction with the staff than at a conventional restaurant as the only part missing is them taking your order, they were still very friendly and it was a very relaxed atmosphere. The only slight flaw we found was that although we clicked for our food at pretty much exactly the same time our main dishes came out a good few minutes apart, this is the only thing they need to work on though. And the bar downstairs is a very cool place to chill whilst you wait for your table.

Overall a brilliant addition to Soho restaurants. I would recommend this to everyone.

What a brilliant idea. A fun, innovative concept in a new hi-tech dining experience. Tables are all equipped with a built in mouse and screen projected onto the table. Images of the food and drink are projected onto your screen. You order directly to the kitchen by selecting your food and drinks with the click of a button. You can also order a taxi, play battleships, watch the chefs on the chef cam and change the pattern and lighting on the table with the click of a button. All food arrives within 15 minutes of ordering, so if other members of the party are late, no need to wait and you control when you want to get the food. You can also view your bill, so no disputes of what you've ordered and who owes what at the end of the night. Is this a cover up for mediocre food? Not at all, the food was fresh and tasty, portions medium and it all arrived in good time. Staff were friendly and helpful, although the interaction is reduced thanks to the DIY approach. There is also a bar in the basement. Until August 31st all food is half price as an opening promotion, which is good as it is easy to get carried away with the mouse at your fingertips and you probably pay a little extra for the whole experience. Worth it in my opinion though. Will definitely go back, had a very enjoyable evening and I predict this place will be buzzing when it becomes more widely known.